Not My Will, But Yours O' Lord

I Corinthians 6:20
For you were bought at a price. Therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit which are God's.

I listened to a teaching the other night. The teacher was Keith Green, and I was amazed at the tone of the Bible study. It was something that you don't hear much anymore. I think that the subject has become kind of a given understanding if you are a Christian. But the radical nature of this concept is not held in high regard.
What am I talking about? The idea of complete submission and gratitude for our salvation. The thought that we were bought at a great price. This price that was paid for our salvation should spur us to have a heart of love and submission to Jesus.

Within the church there seems to be a hierarchy that exist.
We coin such words as "laity" and "clergy" in order to distinguish between those who seemingly have a legitimate call from Christ to work in the Kingdom, from those who are relegated to supporting the clergy. If you fall on the side of laity, then there seems to be a mindset that your job is to support the clergy so they can go and do the things that Jesus requires. Oh there are short term mission trips that some laity take. Other such endeavors are available to provide a sense of fulfilling the call of Christ. But should we not all take upon ourselves the call and mandate of the Great Commission?

Should not my attitude be an acknowledgement that Jesus has purchased me at a great price, the shedding of His blood? I am now indebted to Him, and, as such, I submit to Him and call Him "My Lord!'. That my life is no longer my own but has been placed under His directives through the work of the Holy Spirit.
In other words, I live for Christ. Those should not be simply wonderful words that give us glory bumps, but rather firmly entrench us into the reality of living for Christ. I fear that many today view salvation as being something they fit into their lifestyle, rather than being a lifestyle.

As I listened to Keith teach, there was a passion in his voice that revealed a heart that had been given wholly to God. Willing to go where ever God told Him to. To do whatever God told Him to do. If you are familiar with Keith Green, you know he wrote and recorded some incredible songs that touched the hearts of millions of people. Keith made the statement, "My songs mean nothing if my life isn't wholly Jesus'. He has a lot better songs going on up in heaven than the ones I have written."

Here at Rapha, the one thing we try to do for those who are working a program of recovery is introduce them to a new way to live. I liken it to a doorway. We show them where it is and how they can enter. The choice is up to them as whether they answer God's call to walk through the narrow gate. Once the decision is made, then we began to teach them the importance of recognizing the cost and the call Jesus' has extended to them. This spiritual awakening produces some pretty incredible results. Because of the destruction and damage that has been done because of addiction, many are so grateful for this new life that Jesus has provided. They truly do give themselves to the task of simply doing whatever God asks of them.  The thought of selfishness and of being self centered disappears, and a heart for others emerges.

At one time, we had twelve men who had gone through the program who had left after finishing and had started recovery meetings in their home towns. They were given vision to see the harvest field full of others who desperately needed to hear of Jesus. These men were fully aware of the price that had been paid for their freedom and had dedicated themselves to follow the call of Christ.

The two most powerful words ever spoken by Jesus are very simple words. Yet they are full of mystery and excitement. They tear at the heart and demand a submission that takes you away from the things of this world and places you squarely in the will of God. What are those words?
Follow me.......

God on you....
mb